The Passing of a Remarkable Member

The Passing of a Remarkable Member

05/15/2018,
2:18 PM,
Grand Master - Dark Council

Greetings all,

It is with a heavy heart I inform you all that we have learned from his family that Frosty Romanae Tarantae, a member of our club for more than 14 years, passed away last week. Frosty was a remarkable member, a mentor to many, and a friend to many more. He was known for his friendliness and incredible gaming ability, and he left an indelible mark on so many in our club, particularly in Tarentum. Even for those of us that were never part of Tarentum, Frosty was instantly recognizable for how unlike his name he was: he was engaging and friendly and always happy to try to help others in our online community. And as those that had the privilege of meeting him in person have attested, Frosty was all this and more in the real world as a loving father and a loyal brother. Our condolences go out to his family, friends, and loved ones.

I know that Frosty's memory will not soon fade from those he touched here. Please consider the comments in this news post an opportunity to share memories of Frosty if you would like.

Telaris "Mav" Cantor

You fixed me, in a manner of speaking. When I first came to Tarentum, I was angry and bitter. I didn’t get along well with others at first because I didn’t try to, but even though I was abrasive and venomous at first, Frosty never let it stop him from shaving off those rough edges and giving me one of my first life lines in the Clan. Tarentum fixed me, Beef helped me, but Frosty...without you, I wouldn’t have let them. My last conversation with you was about a member I didn’t like and I was afraid to talk to because I needed to be diplomatic and, to be honest, we both know I need work in that area. But you gave me sage advice and offered aid if I needed it. That was you. That was always you. Calm, cool, friendly, and always willing to help.

I also remember whenever someone had an idea, or wanted to try something, you gave them the tools they needed to play. You never outright said no, never denied without explanation, you were a leader I looked up to. You were self aware, you knew you had flaws, but you never let them get you down. I’ll miss you, man.

My heart breaks for you and your family, and a deep regret I have is not talking to you more when I could have. Rest well, friend.

Frosty, you were always one of the nicest dudes around. Always happy to game with whoever and you never let competition ruin your joy of playing them. Not that you didn't love laying a smackdown on people, but you never let that desire to win diminish from the fact that you were just doing something for fun. That kind of goodheartedness is rare in this world, and I'm happy to have been able to witness it.

Frosty's example in this club should be one everyone aspires too. He was a rare member in this club, always willing to help and just have fun in playing the games he loved. He was a true staple of this club, and will be sorely missed by us all. I never had the chance to work side-by-side with him, but I had more than my fair share of gaming defeats at his hand, and also saw how he interacted with other members of the club. He was one of the good ones. Rest well, good sir.

We were never friends, but you still treated me better than everyone else in the club. You played games with me when no one else would. You listened when no one else would even respond to my messages. I know people approached you about me, and you would talk to me and encourage me to just have fun. Looking back I was just a ball of nerves and you were pretty much the only person who encouraged me to do what this club was about. You're the reason I gave Tarentum a chance in the first place. A better friend to me than anyone else in the club without ever knowing me as one of those lucky people. A true paragon of excellence. Rest easy, Iceman.

I am so grateful that our friendship extended beyond the web. Frosty was CON of our beloved Tarentum when I returned to the club, and he was available on a daily basis to assist me with anything I could think of. He was so personable that it was nearly impossible to dislike him.

It was so unlikely that after 9 years in this club a man from Romania would wind up specifically in my neighborhood of the Midwest U.S. It made our relationship inevitable and so special. It was a real pleasure to spend time with him and get to know the person behind the snow. I wish I could have made the trip to Romania sooner.

Kromtal and I are spending the day together celebrating the life of our beloved snowman, in the last place the three of us were together.

I remember Frosty as a genuine, cordial, and hardworking man. As Consul, I worked with him as one of my Rollmasters, and his contributions expanded far beyond gaming. He was a mentor, leader, and friend that we could all look up to.

Admittedly, I regret not being able to get to know him more. While we worked together, we were never particularly close, but I was able to observe how much he positively affected Tarentum and changed its culture for the better. The world - not just this club - is a darker place without his light.

There's a beautiful poem by Henry Scott Holland called, "Death Is Nothing At All," and the ending lines strike me as both comforting and powerful: "I am but waiting for you. For an interval. Somewhere. Very near. Just around the corner. All is well." I can only hope that to be true. That Frosty is in a good place. That his family and loved ones find the strength to move forward knowing that the memory of him will remain. That all truly is well.

Frosty is someone I will always remember very fondly. Back when I joined there was a lot of negative people around who often made it difficult for a new person like me to enjoy the club. But Frosty stepped up and even though we were from different clans, different parts of the world, that never mattered to him. He did his best to welcome me, and offer tips on gaming and just generally being a great person to talk to. For several years we had a running joke of "well if I ever leave my clan maybe I'll join yours" but we both knew that would never happen. It was something we shared, a pride in and loyalty to our clans and those who looked up to us. As I moved in and out of leadership positions within CSP, and Frosty did his thing, we stayed in touch and would often share conversations where we encouraged each other and sought ways to help our respective members grow.

As others have said, he truly was nothing you would expect from someone named "Frosty". He was warm, friendly, compassionate, and had an amazing sense of humor and a huge heart. He will truly and deeply be missed, and I wish his family all the best in this difficult time.

Frosty, I hope that you're at peace, and if someday we meet again on the other side, I'll bring the rum. :)

Frosty and I spoke rarely, but when we did, his only concern was always others. That his members be having fun, be enjoying themselves. That someone else had a friend to game with or to teach them. If I knew nothing else of him, it was that he was dedicated, and he was selfless. A good soul has gone to the Force.

My thoughts and condolences to Dox and the Romanae family. Frosty clearly touched many of us and I think that itself is a reflection of his character. Whether you remember him as a gamer, for his kindness, the respect he gave all, his selflessness, or simply his friendship - the fact is we all are a little better off in the world because of how he was. While the world is now sadder without him, I'm glad for the time and friendship I had with him for it's been great to have known someone of his caliber.

Romane was someone I did not know half as well as I should, but what little I did see was constantly positive. Whether it was playing him in one of a multitude of Blizzard games or Jedi Academy, he was perpetually polite, positive and enthusiastic. No matter the game, he helped to elevate the experience. The Brotherhood is a lesser place without him.

Frosty was a good guy and a good friend. I've had the fortune of knowing Frosty almost since he first joined the DJB. I served with him both as his superior and his subordinate(rumor has it that I gave him his first leadership position as AED of Gladius). I'm a decade older than Frosty, and I watched him go from a somewhat annoying teenager to a very insightful, intelligent, and warmhearted man. Frosty loved Tarentum, he loved Romania, he loved his wife and son, he just loved life. I feel lucky to have had him as my friend for so long and feel so incredibly lucky that fate had him visit the US last year in an area that was close enough for me to drive up and meet him.

Like I said, I knew Frosty for 15 years, but that day I met Iulian for the first time and I will always treasure the memories of that day. I actually just arrived home from driving back up to where I met him in person, I spent the day with Thanadd and we spent our time remembering our friend. Oddly enough, there weren't any tears, though I have tears on my cheeks now. We were all smiles as we sat at the same diner where the three of us shared a meal almost exactly 1 year ago and joked about how he got eggs and drowned them in hot sauce. It was a good day, but a bittersweet day as we mourned our fallen friend.

I always enjoyed play some Battlefront with Frosty, listening to that man laugh as I would cuss up a storm made my day knowing I had a man like that as a friend who did not judge you but would just find the good parts in life and get you laughing when you were having a bad day.

It is true that the best of us are taken so very quickly. Frosty has always been a powerhouse in Tarentum, be it for gaming or just a force for the good of the clan. I loved watching him grow from said gamer to true leader in a short fashion. He made it a point to check in on everyone from time to time. He always had an ear for your troubles and reminded you of it when you needed it. I spoke to me of wanting to come back to the States to see more Tarenti and expand his personal circle of friends. Frosty never gave up, not in a game and not on any of us.

What is painful is that he leaves a wife and baby behind, though that maybe a blessing because we know that a small piece of this amazing man lives on. He also lives on in our collective memory which we shall cherish for the rest of our days. May we all live up to what he hoped we would achieve. Rest In Peace my friend.

I’m not going to lie, my heart is definitely heavy with this loss. So many times I tell people, “treat others as if you won’t ever see them again.” This wasn’t the case for Frosty and I’s last encounter. I always strived to be better than him at JA. Something that I was finally able to accomplish before taking a leave of absence in late 2015. However, at the end of this last GJW, him and I were paired up. I went in with a big head/a big ego, and he came out victorious. I wasn’t happy and wasn’t being a good sport about it. He, on the other hand, never took my anger personally and remained kind.

I wish our last interaction wasn’t this way, I wish I acted different. However, the way he handled himself, even when I was mad, just shows how amazing of a man he really was. Truly will be missed by all, and it’s sad for me to think I will never get to duel or talk to Frosty again.

May we meet again, old friend; and next time, we’ll both be the masters. My condolences to his brother, children, and other family. May his memory live on through you.

I'm going to have to be honest, I didn't really know Frosty that well. We both may have been in the DB for almost the same time, from the same Clan...but, I guess we ran in different circles. I tend to be pretty insular, and stick to a close circle of friends. Basically, back in the day, if you weren't in Gladius, I had no idea who you were.

That's not to say I was unfamiliar with Frosty. I had always seen his name on the roster, and interacted with him occasionally via email or IRC...or even Telegram, to be more modern. I can't say I got to know him as well as most of the other people who have left comments, but I can at least echo their sense of loss to a degree. I feel we have all lost someone, the Brotherhood as a whole. This isn't just someone walking away or quitting...this was someone who gave everything they could to the group, and was suddenly (as far as I know) torn from the world. This is something to be mourned, but we should also, yes, remember the lessons and joy Frosty brought.

Though we didn't talk much outside of gaming, and the great scales of gaming hung in your favor, you always brought out the competitive side of me, You were the first person from another clan to say to me, "You suck....and here is how you get better." I loved playing against you because of that. When I finally figured out your schedule, I would go to bed early just to loose against you. Part of this time was during a GJW, being detrimental to my clan, but I didn't care. You would just be killing someone else instead, so it might as well be me. I loved it because after every so many kills you would stop the match and show me what I did wrong. Some nights I would be dying to go to bed, but because of the time change I had to stay up to loose to you.

I am going to miss those drunken and sobering knights of literally jumping out of my seat and cheering for each kill against you, while my wife annoying pauses her movie and waiting for the child in me to calm down. Goodbye my friend, adversary and mentor.